Join the Next eHealth Provider Webinar on Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) and Reporting Beginning in 2014 for Eligible Professionals

Eligible professionals are encouraged to join the next CMS eHealth webinar on clinical quality measures (CQMs), which will be held on Tuesday, September 24th from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET. The webinar is titled “CQMs for 2014” and will focus on reporting CQMs beginning in 2014. CMS experts will be presenting on the following topics:

If you are considering moving your medical practice to a different office location, you want to make sure your relocation goes as smoothly as possible. You will have to manage plenty of small tasks as part of the move, but there are a few key items you need to move to the top of your list.

According to a recent report from the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, an EHR in the exam room has the ability to improve the doctor-patient relationship. Before you try to enhance your relationships by downloading the first EHR software system you demo, consider the training you will receive with the EHR implementation.

Join the August 13 eHealth Provider Webinar to Learn How Eligible Professionals can Successfully Participate in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

The next eHealth provider webinar will be held on Tuesday, August 13th from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET,and aims to help eligible professionals successfully participate in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The webinar, “Medicaid EHR Incentive Program: How Eligible Professionals Successfully Participate,” will feature CMS experts who will provide a comprehensive overview of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, including:

Deloitte's 2013 Survey of US Physicians finds they believe the profession's future is decidely different than its past. Their view: the future is practicing in larger organizations using health information technologies (HIT) and team-based models.

It’s not just about demonstrating Meaningful Use in 2013. CMS will now be performing pre-payment audits in addition to the post-payment Meaningful Use audits. Before mailing out some bonus checks, CMS says the audits (which will affect 5-10% of incentive applications) will be random and start with attestations submitted during and after January 2013.

Effective May 1, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will turn on the Phase 2 denial edits. This means that Medicare will deny claims for services or supplies that require an ordering/referring provider to be identified and that provider is not identified, is not in Medicare's enrollment records, or is not of a specialty type that may order/refer the service/item being billed.

Medicare Advantage Payments to be Increased Instead of Cut

Medicare Advantage customers need not fear the painful benefit cuts in 2014 as anticipated by Health Insurers. CMS backtracked on plans to cut Medicare Advantage payments to insurers by 2.2% in 2014 and instead decided on a 3.3% increase.

Purpose

This article provides information on the 2015 PQRS payment adjustment and guidance on how individual eligible professionals and group practices can avoid the 2015 PQRS payment adjustment. Information provided in this article is based on the 2013 Medicare PFS Final Rule. This article focuses on the PQRS payment adjustment and does not provide guidance for Value-Based Payment Modifier upward adjustment or payment adjustments from other Medicare sponsored programs. See the Additional Information section below for links to the CMS Value-Based Payment Modifier website, and the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program website.

With the growing costs of healthcare, patients are required to pay more out of their pockets than ever before! Medical insurance deductibles and co-payments are on the rise while fewer necessary procedures are covered in-full by many insurance companies. According to ACA International, 29 percent of adults reported medical debt or trouble paying medical bills, and 16 percent had been contacted by a collection agency for unpaid medical bills.

Best Practices for Collecting Out-of-Pocket Patient Fees

One of the most important aspects of a medical practice’s success is collecting the money that a patient owes them. This seems like a “no-brainer,” right? Well that does not necessarily make it an easy feat. Patient out-of-pocket fees account for 30 percent of a practice’s revenue, yet once a patient walks out the door, chances of collecting that money are practically cut in half.

According to a recent study, GroupOne Health Source’s staff of medical billing experts, which includes certified coders and reimbursement specialists, has helped numerous medical practices of various specialties and sizes generate, on average, a 32% increase in monthly collections.

Since the electronic medical records (EMR) market continues to boom, we thought it'd be helpful to dig into ways that physician practices can use an EMR to boost their profitability. Here are five tips to help you understand how an EMR can contribute to bottom line growth.